What is responsive web design?

This is the question that seems to be on more and more people’s lips. Simply put, it is when the design of websitesrespond to different screens’ dimensions. Websites that are built to be very responsive will be able to intuitively take note of the width and height of the screen. It will then adjust the web page layout accordingly to best fit the viewable area.

Even though responsive web development is mostly used in web layouts, responsive design can also go well beyond mere layouts. It is achieved by using code which is referred to as media queries. It allows developers to easily create web pages that are entirely independent of the viewable area.

Why it matters

If you’re looking to give your users a great online experience, then responsive website designbecomes of value, especially with the smartphone and tablet wars currently raging in the marketplace. More and more people will be accessing the web from different platforms so you should provide them with the best web experience possible.

Here are a few ways responsive web development will help you to achieve this:

Seamless user experience: Instead of having to develop individual websites for different screen resolutions, the responsive design will allow you to target all of the different dimensions. This will deliver a fantastic user experience that will display beautifully on any device.

PPC and SEO benefits: Google’s page on ‘Building Smartphone Optimised Websites’ actually recommends using a responsive website design above other development methods. A single URL will help Google to assign indexing properties for the content while at the same time reducing load time, all of which will benefit your SEO and PPC efforts.

These are only a few ways in which responsive web development is leading the way forward in website designaround the world. Contact WSI OMS for affordable and reliable web design today.